1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process suitable for forming a deposited film, above all a functional film, particularly an amorphous or crystalline deposited film to be used for semiconductor devices, photosensitive devices for electrophotography, line sensors for image input, image pick-up devices, photovoltaic devices etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For example, for formation of an amorphous silicon film, an amorphous germanium film, etc. the vacuum deposition method, the plasma CVD method, the CVD method, the reactive sputtering method, the ion plating method, the optical CVD method or the like have been attempted to be practiced, and, in general, the plasma CVD method has widely been used and industrialized.
However, for the deposited film constituted of amorphous silicon, amorphous germanium, etc. there is room left for further improvement of overall characteristics with respect to electrical or optical characteristics and fatigue characteristic in repeated uses, or use environmental characteristic, further productivity and mass productivity including uniformity and reproducibility.
The reaction process in formation of an amorphous silicon deposited film, an amorphous germanium deposited film, etc. according to the plasma CVD method generalized in the prior art is considerably complicated as compared with the CVD method of the prior art, and not a few ambiguities existed in its reaction mechanism. Also, there are involved a large number of parameters for formation of such a deposited film (e.g. substrate temperature, flow rates and ratios of gases introduced, pressure during film formation, high frequency power, electrode structure, structure of reaction vessel, gas discharging speed, plasma generation system, etc.), and the plasma formed by combination of such a large number of parameters may sometimes become unstable to frequently give markedly bad influences to the deposited film formed. Besides, the parameters inherent in the device must be chosen for each device, and it has been difficult under the present situation to generalize the production conditions. On the other hand, for exhibiting electrical, optical, photoconductive or mechanical characteristics of an amorphous silicon film, an amorphous germanium film, etc. satisfactorily for respective uses, it has been deemed best to form such a film according to the plasma CVD method under the present situation.
However, depending on the applied uses of the deposited film, since it is required to meet sufficiently requirements of enlargement of area, uniformization of film thickness and uniformity of film quality, and also to attempt to perform a mass production with reproducibility by a high speed film formation, enormous equipment capital becomes necessary for mass production devices in formation of amorphous silicon deposited film, amorphous germanium deposited films, etc. according to the plasma CVD method, and the management items for mass production thereof will become complicated to make the management tolerance narrower. These matters, and also subtlety in adjustment of the devices, have been pointed out as the problems to be improved in the future. On the other hand, in conventional CVD method of the prior art, high temperature is required to be used and no deposited film having practical characteristics could be obtained.
As described above, in formation of amorphous silicon films, amorphous germanium films, etc. it has earnestly been desired to develop a formation process which can perform mass production by means of a low cost device while maintaining practical characteristics and uniformity. These discussions may also be applicable to other functional films such as silicon nitride films, silicon carbide films, silicon oxide films, etc.